


the victims we've taken

by hawaiiwerewolf



Category: Grand Theft Auto III
Genre: Canon-Typical Ableism, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-18
Updated: 2015-03-18
Packaged: 2018-03-18 10:00:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,260
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3565517
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hawaiiwerewolf/pseuds/hawaiiwerewolf
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU where there was no gunshot</p>
            </blockquote>





	the victims we've taken

They’d ended up relocating to Claude’s apartment in Wichita Gardens. Maria, still in the shock of things, and Claude, calm and cool as ever. Catalina was nothing short of a monster, and Maria had learned that first-hand. She was glad Claude had shot down her helicopter.

He’d saved Maria, maybe he was serious after all. 

They’d walked away from the destruction of bodies and chaos while police were swarming the scene. They’d crossed the Cochrane Dam, hand in hand. 

The perfect fairytale ending, in Maria’s eyes, the handsome prince comes to save the princess from her evil step-mother, or in this case, the prince’s evil ex-girlfriend. 

Where one door closed, another one opened. 

This one leads to a new life, one where the two of them will cope through this together, and they’ll live a life free from worry. No more killing. No more blood and gore. Just perfection. 

They arrive at Claude’s apartment within an hour’s time, Maria trying to make awkward small talk and Claude remaining silent and brooding the entire time. Claude surprisingly opens the car door for Maria and doesn’t object when she grabs his hand. 

The complex is nothing special, just your average high rise located near a busy street in Shoreside Vale, surrounded by buildings identical to it. Claude’s apartment consists of one room with a bed and a nice view overlooking the city, a walk-in closet, and a cramped bathroom. 

Maria takes a few moments to take in her surroundings while Claude closes the door behind her and takes a seat on the bed, his gaze automatically faltering to the carpet. 

She stares at him without him staring back and the tension in the room is too much for Maria to handle. “Well,” her thick Libertorian accent cuts through the silence and Claude still doesn’t budge an inch. “I’m gonna use your shower for a bit, I gotta wash the Colombian stink outta my hair.” 

Nothing. 

Maria sighs. Men are always so difficult. She heads over to the bathroom but pauses in the doorway to add, “You could just sit there and sulk all night or you could join me if you like,” Still, no response, and Maria finally throws in the towel. 

The sink is littered with several men’s hair-care products at which Maria smirks at. 

Claude apparently does care about something, which Maria respects a man that cares about his hair, and it’s something she can easily relate to. Maybe that’s what has held them together all this time. 

It’s odd though, for a man who spends so much time killing in cold blood, to actually fret over his appearance. It’s a tiny little quirk that forces Maria to grow even more fond of the silent sociopath. 

\- - - - - 

When Maria steps out of the bathroom, a towel wrapped securely around her torso and smelling like generic soap, she finds Claude to be just as she left him. Pouting on the edge of the bed and staring a hole into the ground. 

Maria can feel the impatience seeping in. “What is _wrong_ with you?” 

Surprisingly, Claude lifts his gaze up to meet her’s. 

With an accusatory hand on her hip, Maria continues on. “We should be celebrating, baby, you can’t tell me you actually feel bad over killing her, do you?” 

Claude responds with a shake of his head, denying Maria’s suspicions. Relief washes over her like a tidal wave. Discovering that Claude still had feelings for Catalina would not only break her heart, but it would greatly interfere with Maria’s romantic intentions for Claude, as well. 

How could you marry a guy that still loved his ex-girlfriend? Not that they would get married immediately, but sooner or later, if Claude hadn’t proposed yet, Maria would. 

Maria crosses over to Claude in three easy strides and kneels down in front of him so they’re at eye-level. Her towel slips slightly and Claude respectfully averts his eyes. Maria doesn’t notice. 

She places a hand on his knee on stable herself and Claude still isn’t looking at her. Maria moves her head right into his line of vision. “It’s over, baby,” Her voice is soothing but Claude’s still tense as ever. “it’s all over now.” 

These are the times when Maria wished Claude did talk. So he could tell her what he’s thinking, what’s troubling him. Maria’s no mind reader, and she certainly can’t read Claude’s mind. Even if she could, she wouldn’t want to, she’d be too afraid of the things she might find. 

With a sigh and a half thought through decision, Maria boosts herself up slightly on her toes and sets her mouth to the long line of Claude’s neck. Her hand moves over Claude’s, where it’s gripping onto the edge of the bed. He releases a steadied breath as Maria dots kisses along his neck, and in that moment, he doesn’t seem so inhuman anymore. 

Maria wants to break him down, expose his every nerve and feeling. Dig past the hard exterior of stone and find his beating heart. She has all the time in the world. 

“She’s gone,” Maria ghosts another kiss along the curve of his jaw and his eyes slide shut. 

Claude breathes in again, this time through his nose, and Maria can feel the tension slipping away. Not just from him but from the both of them. Where he just murdered his ex-girlfriend, she had gotten kidnapped. It was a stressful day from both perspectives. 

But, none of that mattered anymore, what did matter was the two of them, as they were now, coping and forgetting. Helping each other to move on. 

Maria tugs on Claude’s earlobe with her teeth, her knee nudging against him. He’s half-hard and Maria smirks to herself. At least some progress was being made. 

She pulls away and smiles at him, a subtle flash of teeth that masks most of her felicity. The glow from the bedside lamp illuminates Claude’s face in a way that makes him appear to be carved from stone. The same hard, jaw clenched expression stares back at her, but it’s the lopsided smirk that lets her know her hopes aren’t lost. 

Maria leans in to kiss the corner of his mouth, a hand slipping to the back of his neck. 

She’d have all night to find out what made Claude tick. 

\- - - - - 

Claude wakes to the warm sunlight streaming in through the large picture window and the feeling of gentle breathing tickling the back of his neck. An arm is thrown around his torso, perfectly manicured nails clutching into his skin. 

Maria. 

While she did have her occasional (which were turning out to be more frequent) fuck ups, she wasn’t all bad. The only actual human being not hiding behind a thick mask of false pride and confidence. It was refreshing. 

The mattress springs creak as the body beside him shifts. 

“You awake, baby?” 

Her hold on him tightens as she brings her head up to rest on his shoulder, gazing down at him sleepily. 

“That was some night, huh?” 

The question, of course, is rhetorical. Basically every question is when you’re asking Claude. Maria doesn’t expect Claude to answer her, and it’s probably a good thing, after all. More room for her to speak, she can talk for the both of them. 

Maria breathes out a dreamy little sigh and kisses the flesh closest to her mouth. Looks like Claude would have to get used to waking up to someone in the mornings. 

“So,” Maria says, the playful edge back in her voice. “how about that shower?”


End file.
